Seamus Deane: Derry-born author and poet dies
Published
The author and poet Seamus Deane has died aged 81.
Deane, an original member of the Field Day Theatre Company from Londonderry, died in hospital on 12 May.
President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins said his death would be an incalculable loss to Irish writing .
His debut novel Reading in the Dark was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and won The Irish Times International Fiction Prize and The Irish Literature Prize in 1997.
In a statement, Mr Higgins said Deane was a distinguished poet, novelist and internationally acclaimed university teacher . To Derry he leaves the incomparable legacy of the life, the writing, the concerns, the despair and the hope, that he shared with its people and to which so much of the work would respond, said Mr Higgins.
Seamus Deane, leading Irish writer and critic, has died aged 81 Derry author best known for Reading in the Dark and Field Day Anthology of Irish Literature
Thu, May 13, 2021, 10:34 Updated: Thu, May 13, 2021, 10:52
Seamus Deane, for the past 50 years one of Ireland’s foremost writers and critics, best-known for his award-winning autobiographical novel Reading in the Dark and the landmark Field Day Anthology of Irish Writing, died last night in Beaumont Hospital after a short illness. He was 81.
Arts Council chair Prof Kevin Rafter said: “A gifted writer and a profound intellect, Seamus Deane was a master of every writing form. As a critic, an editor, a poet and a novelist, Deane brought concentrated rigour and empathy to his work. An inspiring teacher and continual advocate for Irish writing, Seamus Deane leaves behind a powerful literary and cultural legacy.